1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to portable sports systems and, in particular, to a portable basketball system.
2. Description of Related Art
The popularity of basketball, as well as the limited availability and/or expense associated with the use of gymnasiums or other permanent basketball facilities, has given rise to the development of various types of portable basketball standards. The portability of such basketball standards afford significant flexibility because they can be moved to any location where it is desired to play basketball. Moreover, portable basketball standards generally do not require installation of any type of permanent facilities in connection with their use. Further, the use of such portable basketball standards typically does not necessitate modifications to existing facilities or structures. Consequently, portable basketball standards allow basketball games to be played in virtually any location where there is a relatively flat support surface upon which the basketball standard can be located. The portability and relatively low cost of these types of basketball standards have contributed significantly to their popularity.
Conventional portable basketball standards often include a base, an elongated pole or post connected to the base, and a basketball backboard and a rim that are connected to an upper end of the elongated pole. In some cases, the height of the basketball goal above the playing surface can be varied to suit the desires of the user. For example, the height of the backboard and rim may be lowered to allow children to play and raised to allow adults to play.
The base of many conventional portable basketball standards may include a substantially hollow structure that provides for a relatively lightweight assembly which can be readily shipped by the manufacturer. The base may also include a removable fill/drain plug that allows the hollow portion of the base to be filled with ballast such as sand, dirt or water. When the hollow portion of the base is filled with ballast, the stability of the basketball standard is greatly enhanced. While the hollow base and ballast arrangement has proven useful, the weight of the ballasted base can be significant and it often impairs the ability of the user to move the basketball standard from one location to another location. For example, these known basketball systems may require the assistance of several people to set up or relocate the basketball standard when the base is filled with ballast. Alternatively, the ballast material may be emptied out of the hollow base to allow the basketball standard to be moved. Disadvantageously, the filling and emptying of the ballast material from the base each time the basketball standard is desired to be set up or moved requires a significant amount of time and is inherently inconvenient. In particular, if the hollow base is filled with water, then the water may have to be emptied onto the playing surface. On the other hand, removing sand or dirt for the hollow base may be very difficult and messy.
Conventional portable basketball standards may include one or more wheels incorporated into the support base to facilitate movement of the basketball standard. One known portable basketball standard includes a base with wheels attached to one end of the base and the basketball standard is moved by lifting and tilting the base onto the wheels located at the end of the base. In particular, the base is rotated from a generally horizontal position to a vertical position and the base wheels serve as a rotating fulcrum upon which the weight of the basketball standard is supported. Disadvantageously, pivoting the heavy base onto its wheels may be very difficult, if not impossible, for some people. The basketball standard may also be dropped or inadvertently released and that may cause injury to the user or others nearby. Additionally, because the user may use the elongated support pole to pivot the basketball standard, that may damage the base and/or the support pole. Further, the user bears a significant portion of the weight of the basketball standard when it is in the tilted position. This makes the basketball standard very difficult to move. Finally, this known basketball standard is difficult to maneuver because the elongated support pole is in a generally horizontal position.
Conventional portable basketball standards may also not allow lateral or sideways movement of base relative to the playing or support surface. This makes conventional portable basketball standards very difficult to move and position correctly because they primarily can only move in a forward and backward direction. In particular, these known portable basketball standards are often difficult to position in relatively small spaces.
Known portable basketball standards may also have one or more wheels that can be deployed to engage the ground. Disadvantageously, in order to position the wheels in the deployed position, the base may have to be tipped into a predetermined position. As discussed above, this type of approach is often problematic because the base is quite heavy and it may be very difficult or impossible for some users to tip the base. Additionally, the tipped base could fall over and injure the user or others. Thus, these known basketball standards often require several people to tip the base so that the basketball standard can be moved. The tipping of the portable basketball standard, however, may damage the support pole and/or the base, and this type of basketball standard also does not provide for lateral or sideways movement of the system.